In order to increase the validity of our assessment process, BYU utilizes an off-site assessment service: Language Testing International (LTI), the testing office of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL).

You will be required to take two tests:

1. Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI)

As described by ACTFL, “The Oral Proficiency Interview is a carefully structured, 20-30 minute telephone interview between an ACTFL Certified Tester and a candidate. The interview is interactive and adaptive to the experiences and linguistic competence of the candidate. The digitally recorded sample is double rated.” Learn more about the Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI).

Once you submit a request for an OPI, a notification will be sent to your BYU email address (netid@byu.edu). If you do not come to the scheduled appointment, you will be charged a $60 no-show fee by the testing company.

2. Written Proficiency Test (WPT)

As described by ACTFL, “This is a proctored, standardized test for global assessment of functional writing ability, measuring how well a person writes in a language. Candidate’s writing samples are double rated.” The WPT is a 90-minute hand-written short essay-answer writing sample, or an 80-minute computer-based short essay-answer writing sample, depending on your language. Learn more about the Written Proficiency Test (WPT).

NOTE: These tests must be done on the BYU-Provo campus and must be scheduled before graduation.

When you are ready to take your proficiency tests, please send an email request to: languagecertificate@byu.edu.